Gays Runs Even Faster, Dix Emerges On the Scene!

It was utter pandemonium when the stadium clock displayed 9.68 after Tyson Gay crossed the line. Track Town, USA was completely rocking for the next thirty minutes. The wind-aided time (+4.1) is still the fastest time ever run.

People sitting at home may question how six people ran under 10-seconds in one race. Similar to European track stadiums, the fans in the newly renovated Hayward Field are close to the track, and the athletes feed off of their infectious energy.

Walter Dix shut up all of the naysayers and doubters of his talent. He is headed to Beijing, and the shoe companies had better start adding some big numbers to their contract offers.

It was great to see Darvis Patton dip under 10-seconds again and qualify for the team after fighting injuries for the last couple years.

Coach Jon Drummond was ecstatic in the athlete area after the race. His athlete Tyson Gay had done it!

Check out my full article on the race as published on TheFinalSprint.com

By Jay Hicks.

Price Dominates & Shatters National 800 Record!

We wouldn't be going overboard by saying this is the best high school victory you’ll ever see.

Chanelle Price took out what looked to be a 60 meter lead during the first lap as she delivered a thunderous 800 (2:02.90) at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association (PIAA) last Saturday at the Track and Field Championships in Shippensburg.

She won the race 10 seconds ahead of the second place finisher Shaniel Chambers of Chester (2:12.18).

The 17-year-old’s time broke Joetta Clark-Digg’s four-time Olympian Joetta Clark-Diggs’ National Federation of High Schools record (2:04.50) and two-time Olympic medalist Kim Gallagher’s 28-year-old PIAA meet record (2:05.47).

She will run next at the Prefontaine Classic. Price’s performance might signal a changing of the guard. Former Olympic champion Maria Mutola of Mozambique returns for her 16th and final appearance in the PreClassic 800 at the Prefontaine Classic on Sunday, June 8, 2008.

The young phenom, Price will attempt to make the Olympic team at the USA Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Ore., which begin on June 27.

Click here to see the Chanelle Price video.

By Jay Hicks.

Matt Scherer Runs 1:46.61 PR!

Just 32 days before the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon the 800 is wide open. Matt Scherer of the Oregon Track Club Elite has officially thrown his hat in the ring for the Olympic team by running 1:46.61, a major personal best time. Scherer is roughly the third-ranked American at 800-meters.

The PR marks a progression in his performance that puts him in the mix at this stage of the season. That time met the “B” standard of 1:47.00 for the Beijing Olympics and just barely missed the “A” standard of 1:46.00. The Illinois native will most definitely need to run 1:45ish to make the Olympic squad, but this race is encouragement that he is headed in the right direction.

Scherer told PreraceJitters.com that “I was pretty comfortable the entire race, there is a lot more there. My goal was to stay relaxed down the homestretch. This race set me up for my next couple of race and then the Olympic Trials.”

What is unique about Scherer is that he moved up to the 800 last season from the 400 after graduating the University of Oregon. His personal best time stood at 45.19 in the 400, but he knew that time was not nearly fast enough to compete on the very crowded U.S. 400-meter scene. Fans can see Matt next run on Sunday, June 8 at the Prefontaine Classic.

By Jay Hicks.

LaShawn Merritt On Top of the World

At the Guadeloupe meet in the Caribbean, LaShawn blistered the track in the 400-meter with 44.34. He was followed by Angela Taylor in 45.06 and David Neville in 45.08.

LaShawn’s world-leading time continues to seesaw with the times of Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner. Before this race Wariner held the top time this season, and prior to that Merritt held the honor. For now at least, Merritt lays claim to the leading time in the world.

If you are looking for a runner that can break Wariner’s current winning streak, just look to LaShawn Merritt. He has proven to have razor sharp speed, posting 19.80 in the 200, and the ability to execute a precise one lap race. This topic may be revisited very soon. Jeremy is set to run the 400-meter at the Adidas Classic on May 18, and he is sure to want to send a message to Merritt.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.

Breaux Greer, Track's Wildest Man!

Track athletes had better get to entertaining folks or run the risk a living a life of anonymity buried deep in the bowels of cable tv—oh wait that’s happening now. They better dance, sing, do something. The stakes are too high. Running fast times is not enough to cut the mustard in a society dominated by Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears. Track should tap it’s resources such as Breaux Greer.

Eight time American javelin champion Breaux Greer, is an entertaining guy who should get more media spotlight. The girls like him, and guys like to hang with him. He demands your attention and could easily steal the show at the Olympic trials.

The joke cracking, outspoken warrior wears all black gear and hopes to be the first American to medal in javelin since the 1972 Olympics. That’s a long time.

You have got to check out Breaux’s recent ESPN The Magazine interview. This guy is no joke. He is only the best American in the sport for the last eight years and is one of the country’s most seasoned pro track athletes.

By Jay Hicks, a.k.a. Track Evangelist.